Why this matters
Cotendo's focus includes accelerating Web applications for mobile devices, so the startup would add a new dimension to Akamai's CDN. It's got some interesting tricks, such as an HTTP alternative developed with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), as
Streaming Media noted in June. A lot of the slowness of a mobile Web connection comes from HTTP, which was invented long before everyone walked around with smartphones.

Contendo is young, founded in 2008, but it's got big-name backers. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a customer (and, along with Juniper, was pegged last month as possible Cotendo acquirers). The industry appears to have been convinced Cotendo was onto something important, and now that work is in Akamai's hands.

For moreA few recent tidbits on Akamai, Cotendo and their possible merger: